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Saturday, 20 May 2017

Diana talks to M. J. Neary

Hello! Happy to welcome you here to Diana talks 😍

First things first I am sure there is a
question that you have always longed to be asked. Now is the chance. Ask your
own question and answer it!

One
question people ask me is why I am so allergic to happy endings. People have a
very narrow understanding of what happy endings entail. Sometimes it’s not
about a boy and a girl ending up together. Sometimes it’s about a nation
shedding a tyrannical ruler, even if many boys and girls die in the process. I
am a very spiritual person, and I believe that we already can have a happy
ending with our Creator.

If your latest book ‘The Gate of Dawn’
was adapted into a TV show or a film, who would you like to play the lead role?

If
I could not get an obscure European actress, I’d have to stick with (gasp) Dakota
Fanning, or her sister Elle. But honestly, the New York based dancer who
modelled for the cover would’ve done a marvellous job. Her name is Logan
Devlin, and she dances and models in NYC.

What made you choose this genre?

I’ve
already been writing hard core historical fiction for a number of years, so it
was a matter of choosing the topic versus the genre.

How do you get ideas for plots and
characters?

I
get plot twists from real life and just embellish them. If you write historical
fiction, you get to work around concrete historical events. In the case of “The
Gate of Dawn”, I worked with a folk legend / family history.

If, as a one off, (and you could
guarantee publication!) you could write
anything you wanted, is there another genre you would love to work with and do
you already have a budding plot line in mind?

I
am already writing in every genre that comes to me naturally: historical,
political satire, cyber punk. I could never write romance or a straight-up
mystery.

Was becoming a writer a conscious
decision or something that you drifted into (or even something so compelling
that it could not be denied?) How old were you when you first started to write
seriously.

I’ve
always had a very cinematic imagination, so writing came very naturally.
However, I encountered a lot of discouragement from my family, for some weird
reason. I did not start writing commercially until my late 20s. By then I had a
portfolio of short stories and novel drafts. The first publishing contract is
very encouraging, so you start working on your backlog.

Marmite? Love it or hate it?

Never
tried it. The substance looks nefarious.

Do you have any rituals and routines
when writing? Your favourite cup for example or ‘that’ piece of music...??

My
only “ritual” is ignoring the needs of my family and my cats.

I promise I won’t tell them the answer
to this, but when you are writing, who is more important, your family or your
characters?

As
a working mom, I’ve mastered the art of multitasking and listening to multiple
voices at the same time. One time, my Siberian cat Rory walked into a burning
candle and sat his tail on fire. Of course, I had to take a break from writing
to make sure he did not burn down the whole house.

Other than writing full time, what would
be your dream job?

I
already have a number of dream jobs. I work for a foreign exchange company and
have a side business in cat breeding. My little boy Rory has fathered three
litters in 2016.

Coffee or tea? Red or white?

All
of the above. That’s why I have acid reflux.

How much of your work is planned before
you start? Do you have a full draft or let it find its way?

If
the novel is based heavily on a particular historical event, and we know how
the story ends, I don’t need to do as much plotting.

If you had free choice over the font
your book is printed in, what font/fonts would you choose?

Something
that’s easy on the eyes. I am not a pretentious diva.

Imagine that you could get hold of any
original source document. What would it be?

Hah!
Bulmer Hobson’s marital separation agreement. For those who don’t know, Hobson
was the protagonist of my two Irish novels “Martyrs and Traitors” and “Never Be
at Peace”. He was an Irish revolutionary of Anglo-Scottish stock and Protestant
faith. His marriage to Claire Gregan ended in a separation, though nobody knew
the circumstances. I used my dirty imagination to fill the gaps.

Have any of your characters ever shocked
you and gone off on their own adventure leaving you scratching your head??? If
so how did you cope with that!?

I
totally let them! I am not some control freak. I believe that my characters exist in another dimension and
have their own egos and wills, so I listen to them.

How much research do you do and do you
ever go on research trips?

Given
my professional and parenting responsibilities, I don’t have the luxury to go
on trips, but I have worked with international libraries and befriended
scholars.

Fiction authors have to contend with
real characters invading our stories. Are there any ‘real’ characters you have
been tempted to prematurely kill off or ignore because you just don’t like them
or they spoil the plot?

I
would rather make a character suffer than kill him/her off. Killing someone off
is too easy.

Are you prepared to go away from the
known facts for the sake of the story and if so how do you get around this?

Any
fact is open to interpretation. If you feel like you need to twist history too
much, then you are better off labeling and marking your work as alternative
history.

Have you ever totally hated or fallen in
love with one of your characters?

I
don’t fall in love with characters. It’s the other way around. First I fall in
love (or grow to hate someone) and then use those emotions as a fuel to build a
character.

What do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

I
normally do not read commercial
bestsellers. I gravitate towards other authors published by small presses. It’s
not just an act of solidarity. I truly think that small presses take chances,
and you are more likely to find something surprising.